The present invention generally relates to wet compresses and more specifically to a wet compress for moist heat treatments and saline soaks.
Hot and warm compresses are used to treat a variety of ailments including inflammation, hematomas, arthritis, swollen joints, back spasms and contusions. Salinized hot or warm compresses are also used during pre-surgical or post-surgical procedures for saline soaks in the treatment of infected wounds and the like. The utility of the hot and warm compresses of the prior art is generally limited by two problems: (1) cumbersome and burdensome means of heating the compress, and (2) patient discomfort.
Hot and warm compresses in the prior art are generally prepared utilizing hydroculator packs and hot towels. Hydroculator packs are canvas-covered receptacles stuffed with horse hair or the like which are heated in a large pot of boiling water. The packs get very hot and often drip hot water so the patient must be protected when the compress is applied. This is usually done by wrapping the hydroculator packs in numerous towels. Heating the compress is inconvenient to the patient and to the treating medical professional. The required machinery must be stored in a central supply room and transported to each patient's relatively small room when a hot or warm compress is ordered. The packs are generally left in water at the patient's bedside for several days where additional water is added as the pack is reheated. This procedure increases the opportunity for bacteria to form in the heating tank and in the hydroculator pack. For home use, the hydroculator packs are usually stored frozen until needed and have to be heated in a large kettle of boiling water. Thus, a considerable amount of time is used in both instances to sufficiently heat the hydroculator packs. Generally a large number of towels are used in hydroculator therapy which must be laundered and further adds to the weight of equipment required. Also, a fire hazard is created in the patient's room since the heating equipment must be plugged into an electrical outlet. There is also a large cost for electricity associated with this means of preparing a hot or warm compress because the machinery must be plugged in from early morning to late evening. The technician or nurse operating the equipment wastes valuable time waiting for the equipment to heat the compress. The patient is further inconvenienced and made to feel uncomfortable because he/she generally feels that visitors are not welcomed during this procedure and thus oftentimes refuses the treatment.
Because of the large number of towels needed to wrap around the hydroculator packs, hot or warm compresses of the prior art are generally heavy and unwieldy for the patient to whom the compress is being applied. Because of the weight of the prior art heatpacks the patient is often required to remain stationary during treatment for twenty to thirty minutes, the normal cycle for heat treatments, and depending upon the part of the body being treated the patient may have to lay in an uncomfortable position. The weight of the hot or warm compresses of the prior art is particularly problematic in intravenous therapy where most antibiotics are given intravenously thus facilitating the occurrence of irritations and the start of phlebitis. Generally a warm face cloth is used which is covered by a towel and an incontinence pad and is taped or wrapped with plastic wrap to keep it warm. However, this operation generally fails to keep the face cloth warm and furthermore is cumbersome for the patient. Saline soak treatments further require that a sterile basin be obtained from central supply and brought to the patient's room. The bottle of saline is then placed in a sink of hot water or in a large basin to heat the saline before pouring it onto the lesion. If treating an abdominal wound the patient must remain exposed during treatment and a new gauze must be used with each application of the compress to the wound, the spent gauze being discarded in a contaminated waste container. Application of the gauze is usually done by the patient every fifteen to twenty minutes giving rise to opportunities for infection from the unsterile hands of the patient.
Various compresses have been disclosed in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 414,967 to Berns discloses a therapeutic pad that retains moisture and heat comprising a outer casing of porous material filled with moss. U.S. Pat. No. 1,602,344 to Eagle discloses a medicating compress that includes a layer of moisture-proof and insulating material to retain heat beneath the compress when it is positioned adjacent the body. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,027 to Fleischmajer a multi-layered disposable, dermatological compress is disclosed having a fluid reservoir layer, an absorbent layer disposed to one side of the fluid reservoir layer having an evaporation surface, and a smooth, water permeable application layer disposed to the opposite side of the fluid reservoir layer. The Fleischmajer disclosure teaches that the compress may be heated by placing the compress in a sealed bag and putting it into hot water, or into boiling water allowing time for cooling to obtain the desired temperature, as known for hydroculator therapy. A surgical bandage that includes a compress and adhesive attachment means is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,852,040 to Blank. A surgical bandage that includes a compress for stopping the flow of blood from a wound is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,344,021 to Bouziane.
As can be understood from the foregoing, there are numerous problems associated with the present methods of preparing and applying a hot or warm compress that have not been resolved by the prior art, the foregoing problems not being exclusive. Thus there remains a need within the art for a more efficient, cost effective and comfortable means of preparing and applying a hot or warm wet compress or saline soak that results in greater patient comfort and mobility and in greater treatment effectiveness.